Fathers of Valor
by Chase Wolfe
Summary: Have you ever wondered about the dads of the paw patrol members? Like was Chase's dad a police dog or a member of an organized crime gang? Well this is my take on the Fathers of the Paw Patrol members
1. chapter 1

**Disclaimer I don't own any of the Paw Patrol characters.**

 **Hey guys, so I thought of this idea while playing basketball the other day, what this is, it's a couple of one-shots about the Dads of the Paw Patrol members (excluding Ryder) and before we get started I just want Y'all to know that these one-shots have nothing to do with any of my continuous running stories. So enough introductory, on with the story!**

 **Note: the story that follows is completely fictional that makes references to real names during that operation.**

 **Chapter one, "Father of Honor"**

 **One day Everest is cleaning out her log cabin with the help of Marshall and Rocky when they stumble upon Everest's closet...**

"Whos going to open it?" Rocky asks

"don't worry guys, I got this" Marshall replies

Marshall trots over to the closet door, twists the doorknob and begins pulling. After pulling for a couple of seconds with no results, he looks back at Everest and Rocky...

"Its stuck"

"Really? Let me help" Rocky insists

Rocky walks over to the doorknob and helps pull, after a couple quick tugs, the closet door flies open and a wave of junk, old clothes, and mountain equipment pours out of the closet and scatters all over the room

"Wow, I bet I could build an entire rocket with all this stuff!" Rocky shouts

"Man, anything could be hiding in there!" Marshall exclaims

"C'mon boys, it's not _that_ bad, it could be worse," Everest says

"Yeah, says the pup who asked us to help" Marshall jokes

"Hey, you asked to help, then you drug Rocky into it" Everest responds

The dogs share a laugh and go right to work. They start by throwing away all the completely useless garbage first, after that, they move onto Everest's mountain equipment, if Everest doesn't want some of the spare equipment, she gives it to Rocky for him to recycle

The process of cleaning the floor that led up to the closet was long and rough, but eventually, they made it to the actual closet itself. Marshall was looking through some of the shelves in the very back of the closet when a small, package sized box caught his eye...

"Hey Everest, what is this?"

Everest trudged to the back of the closet through all of the junk full of excitement at the thought of what Marshall could have found, once she saw the box though, her demeanor changed drastically...

"What, that old box? It's nothing...nothing at all"

Marshall observed Everest's sudden change in behavior before asking...

"Are you sure? Cause from the sounds of it, it's more than just "nothing"

Everest took a deep sigh, the day she had always dreaded was here and was it ever too soon. She slowly looks at Marshall with tears beginning to form in her eyes...

"it was the last thing my dad gave me before..." Everest choked up

"before what?" Rocky said from the front of the closet

Marshall gave Rocky a quick glare with cold eyes, Rockies ears dropped as Marshall turned back to Everest again...

"it might be better if I show you" Everest regained her composure

Everest grabbed the box with shaking paws, slowly opened it and pulled out a triangle that was red and white striped on the bottom while the top was covered by a blue field with stars. Marshall and Rocky both stared at it in disbelief, neither of them spoke a word until Marshall broke the silence...

"Is...is that a...is that a folded flag?"

Everest nodded her head

"How did it happen?" Rocky asks

Everest took a deep breath, she was going to need all the help in the world to tell this story

"It all started in 2003, a couple of years after a very particular day in September, the military needed some dogs to help the army rangers in Afghanistan..."

 **Date: February 21, 2003**

 **Location: a small town in Virginia**

It was early in the morning, the sun wasn't even up yet, in one room three young husky pups were fast asleep, in the room next to them a red husky was backing his bags while his mate, a grey husky was watching him. They both kept silence until the grey husky voiced her opinion one more time...

"Dawson...you don't have to do this"

"I know, but I've already made my mind up Heather, I'm going with the army rangers and you can't change my mind"

"you've already served in operation enduring freedom, what more do want?"

"Heather I already told you, you're not going to convince me to stay"

"So why are you going when there are so many other qualified younger dogs?" Heather asked almost sobbing

Dawson stopped and thought about it for a moment, but after remembering, he quickly reverted back to packing...

"The army needs scout dogs they can rely on while they're in Afghanistan, that's why I'm going"

Dawson zipped up his bag, threw it over his shoulder and looked into Heather's deep blue eyes, she still had warm tears streaming down her face...

"It's because Danny was in the twin towers when they collapsed...isn't it?" Heather cried

Dawson choked up at that, Danny was his only brother and now he was...gone.

"Maybe...but that's not important now, what's important is that you keep the pups safe"

"But Dawson, what if..." Heather couldn't possibly imagine Dawson not making it home

"Heather relax, this is my last tour in Afghanistan, and once I make it home, I'm done with war. And we'll celebrate everything together as a family"

Dawson gave Heather one last goodbye kiss, only to have it cut short by the rumbling of a military vehicle stopping in the front yard...

"I'm sorry Heather...I've got to go now"

"Alright, be safe out there"

Dawson gave Heather a hug and a warm smile

"That's my girl"

Dawson trotted out to the military vehicle that was waiting for him, he hopped in the back and was greeted by the rest of the veterans serving their last tour in Afghanistan. Heather watched with hot tears streaming down her face again as the vehicle pulled away from the house...

"Just, promise me you'll come back home...alive"

 **Date: March 19, 2003,**

 **Location: American base in Afghanistan**

The Rangers were helping each other pack each other's bags in the Chinook hanger when the captain of the third platoon stepped onto the scene...

"Attention!!"

The platoon stood at attention

"Alright boys, the enemy is spread out in isolated pockets here, here and here..." the captain pointed at a map on the wall

"So our job is to clear these pockets out and take out Osama bin Laden.The operations name is "valiant strike." each trooper will memorize this operation by heart and know his and any other outfits operation to the detail!"

"Sir yes, sir!" the whole platoon chanted in unison

The captain breathed a sigh

"And with any luck, your tour should be over before the fourth of July...dismissed"

The third platoon was then loaded up onto helicopters, where they were transported to a remote village in eastern Afghanistan, the village was reported to be a friendly one, but no one really knew.

When the rangers arrived at the village, they immediately set up the main command center and began looking at maps to determine the best place to start looking for Osama bin-Laden and his followers...

"If you take a squad there, then I'll take the platoon here we should pinch them against the Pakistani border," a ranger said pointing at a map

"Sounds good sir but how do we know that Pakistan won't let bin Laden just cross over?"

"The Pakistani government is known to be an American friendly one and I don't think they would just let a terrorist cross their border"

"Yes sir"

"Alright first squad, let's move out!"

The squad began maneuvering through the rough, mountainous terrain, searching for any cave or hiding place where the terrorists might be hiding. After searching for hours with no luck, the squad leaders made the decision to return to the village...

"Alright boys, we're going back to the village, be on the lookout for anything suspicious"

So the Rangers began marching back to camp and were almost there when they were ambushed by at least 50 terrorists, what followed next was the sound of gunshots and loud voices echoing through the mountains...

"Get down!!!"

"Johnsons hit!"

"Can anybody get a visual!"

"Sir! private Holland is hit!"

"Stroker! Call in air support now!"

"Yes, sir! Airbase 24 this is squad one, come in airbase 24, we need immediate air support, our location is 24 degrees south, 130 degrees east"

"Where are they coming from!"

"Stroker, I need you to also contact the platoon, let them know where we are so they can give us some support!"

"Sir! Platoon three, this is squad one, we are in need if immediate ground support! Our location is 4 miles south-east of the main command center"

The battle only grew more intense as the first squad waited for their support to arrive, platoon three never made it. Squad leader McKnight began wondering just where platoon three was...

"Stroker! Get me platoon three on the radio now!"

"Sir!" Stroker began calling platoon three

"Platoon three, this is squad one, over"

Static

"Platoon three, this squad one, over"

Still static

"Sir I'm not getting anything over the radio"

"Well get us a chopper to come pick us up!"

"Yes, sir! Airbase 24, we're going to need some choppers to come pick us up!...yes I'm sure!...look right now we're pinned down hard, we have a couple K.I.As and multiple wounded, there's no way we can hold out!!!!"

Stroker turned over to McKnight

"They won't send the choppers till they know what happened to platoon three!"

McKnight let out a sigh

"Who wants to go check on the platoon!"

The Rangers were silent until one shouted

"We have Dawson sir!"

McKnight looked over at Dawson

"he's a dog but he'll work!"

The Ranger looked down at Dawson

"Alright Dawson, you're it! Go find the platoon boy!"

Dawson gave a stern bark, then began crawling back towards the village, after he was past the firefight he stood up and started running, never looking back.

Dawson arrived at the village only to find it in smoldering ashes, everything was gone, even the main command center! Dawson scanned the area in a panicked search for any sign of life only to turn up empty.

Dawson was just about to move on when he heard a groan, he stopped in his tracks and tried to locate the area from where the groan was coming, after listening and smelling for the body he was led to a big rock some 50 yards away from the village

Dawson looked behind the rock and found a badly wounded ranger, the ranger groaned in pain then lifted his head and looked at Dawson, the ranger couldn't help but smile...

"Hey buddy, am I glad to see you..."

The ranger grabbed his calf and winced in pain

"We were on our way to help y'all but on our way, we were ambushed by the village, I was trying to flank the right side when I got shot in the leg"

The ranger slowly sat up and grabbed his calf again

"So while I was trying to patch up my leg, there was a big explosion or something that knocked me out, and that was the last I heard of the platoon"

The ranger looked at Dawson

"So where's the rest of the squad?"

Dawson looked back in the general direction from where the gunshots were coming from, once the ranger realized this his smile quickly faded

"They're over there?"

Dawson nodded, the ranger rolled his head around stared at the rock for a couple seconds then grabbed the rock and started pulling himself up, once he had pulled himself up on his two feet, he looked over at Dawson with a smile

"I think we ought to go join them...don't you think?"

Dawson let out a joyful bark

"Alright, but you're gonna have to help me get there," the ranger said

Dawson walked right next to the ranger, Dawson's advanced training had helped him prepare for this. The ranger grabbed Dawson's collar then laid on top of him

"Alright boy let's go!"

Dawson gave a bark, then proceeded to drag the ranger back into the firefight he had just left.

When they arrived, they found the first squad barely hanging on for dear life. the ammo supplies were next to nothing and the battle was at it's hottest point

Dawson and the ranger would've gone unnoticed had McKnight not seen them...

"Dawson over here!"

Dawson drug the ranger over to McKnight with bullets hissing all around him and laid him down

"Wheres the rest of the platoon!?"

"I'm it, sir!"

"You're it!"

"Yes, sir!"

McKnight looked away mumbled something under his breath then looked back at the ranger...

"Good thing Dawson found ya, cause we're about to get out of here! Stroker let them know we have what's left of the platoon!"

"Sir! Airbase 24 this squad one, we have what's left of platoon three, so send those choppers!"

So the squad continued fighting, even though they had no idea when the choppers would come pick them up. Eventually, the squad was depleted to just five men and one dog which included McKnight, the ranger, and Dawson.

The squad was down to their last magazines of bullets when they heard a faint chopping sound in the distance, it wasn't that noticeable at first, but as the sound got closer it got louder and louder until the squad saw a Chinook flying towards them...

"Squad one this is Chinook seven, where is your exact location?"

Stroker reached for the radio

"Look for the smoke!"

Stroker grabbed his smoke grenade, pulled the pin and threw it towards a clearing about 30 yards from the squad, once the grenade hit the ground smoke started spewing out of it

"Rodger, I've got you in my sights. Prepare for a hot extraction"

"Will do!"

McKnight looked over at the men that were left

"We're going home"

The squad gathered all the dog tags of their fallen comrades and waited for the Chinook to land, the Chinook landed in the clearing and the door fell open, after that it was a mad dash for the Chinook

The Rangers made inside the Chinook and started yelling at the pilot

"Alright, we're in let's go! let's go!"

Everything was hectic, then as the door began closing, a grenade was thrown into the Chinook

"GRENADE!"

Dawson had a split second to think, was he going to jump on the grenade? What was going to happen to his family if he did? All these thoughts raced through his mind in this split second but what sealed the deal was the thought "If I don't who will?"

So before anyone could react Dawson jumped on the grenade...

 **Boom!**

DAWSON!"

Mcknight yelled in disbelief as the red husky had just laid his life down for him and the four other rangers

The ride back to the base was one if defeat, the Rangers could only let warm tears slide down their face and stare at the lifeless body in its own pool of blood. What made this death different from the rest was that if he didn't cover the grenade, everyone in the Chinook would've died.

When they arrived at the base, the commander was there and waiting for them, he wanted to be the first to greet the rangers. The Chinook landed on the landing pad and opened the door, the commander watched as the door lowered and a pool of blood came flowing out, he looked up at the men's faces...

"Was it that bad?"

The men nodded their heads. The commander then saw Dawson's lifeless body lying in the Chinook...

"How did it happen?"

"A grenade was tossed in here, then Dawson jumped on it, sir"

"He really was...man's best friend," the commander said

The Rangers got off the Chinooks with heavy hearts, many of there comrades had fallen that day, yet thanks to one dog, those five had managed to survive.

McKnight grabbed Dawson's dog tag before they zipped him up in a white death bag, and searched his canine house for anything else he could ship back to Dawsons family, he found a couple of letters and pictures put them in a big yellow envelope along with a letter of his own then shipped it back to the United States.

 **Date: April 5, 2003**

 **Location: small town Virginia**

A grey husky is washing some food dishes when a taxi cab pulls into the front yard, her heart sinks but she keeps washing dishes acting like she didn't notice until she hears the doors to the taxi open, she looks up and sees a military man carrying a box and a big bright yellow envelope...

"Get in your rooms pups!" she says

"Yes mama" is the reply

The grey husky can hear the steps that military man is taking up the front porch very slowly, there's a moment of silence then, a knock at the front door. The husky slowly walks towards the front door, takes a deep breath, then opens the door...

"May I help you?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am, but..." the military man choked up

"You're husband...passed...away in Afghanistan recently"

The man took a deep breath

"So I'm giving you what's left of his belongings from the field"

The husky now had warm tears sliding down her cheek, she looked at the man and asked

"When is the funeral?"

"This Saturday"

The man began walking back to his car when he looked back at the husky who was now sobbing

"I'm really sorry ma'am"

He turned back and got into his taxi and left.

The funeral that followed was sad and dreary, the weather was barely raining a spring shower, the husky and her pups watched as the casket passed in front of them, and as the Rangers paid their last respects. The Rangers then lined up, seven of them in a row and shot the last twenty-one shot salute, and when they were done, two rangers folded the flag that was on top of the casket and presented it to miss Heather...

"Our sincerest condolences," the commander said then he and the rest of the rangers slowly walked back to their vehicles

Miss Heather, on the other hand, stayed for a little while longer until the graveyard workers began filling up the hole, she said her last goodbye to her best friend then took her pups home. When they got home a curious pup began wondering about the "Present" that her dad had left her...

"Mom?"

"Yes Everest"

"When can I open dads last present?"

The red husky looked at her pup with a smile

"How about, when you're older...ok?"

The pup stared at the ground and shuffled her feet

"Ok mom" then she turned around and walked out of the room

 **Date: a couple of months before Everest joins the Paw Patrol**

 **Location: Everest mom's house**

"Alright, mom I'm all packed!"

An excited voice filled the room, Heather knew that Everest was bound for the mountains ever since she was little because she, like her father loved the mountains and had her fathers heart and now that day had come.

The grey husky looked over the bright yellow envelope, untouched since the day she got it. Heather let out a deep sigh and called out for her grown pup...

"Okay meet me in the living room before you go!"

"Ok mom!" was the reply

After a couple seconds of silence, Everest walked into the room full of excitement...

"Alright, mom I think I'm ready to go!" she said

Heather couldn't help but smile, she looked at Everest with the envelope in her hand...

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"I don't think..."

Everest gazed at the yellow envelope, her smile slowly faded away

"...so..."

Her mother held out the envelope, Everest slowly reached for it and grabbed it, she held it with both of her paws contemplating on whether or not to open it, she looked at her mom with tears starting to form in her eyes...

"Mom I...I...I don't know if I can open it"

Everest's mom smiled

"Then let's open it together," Heather said

Heather then placed her paw on the envelope and looked at Everest

"On the count of three...one...two...three..."

They opened the envelope and found a letter from her dad along with a poem written by McKnight, so naturally, Everest read her dads letter first...

 _" Dear Everest,_

 _By the time you read this letter... I'll be gone. So let me give you a few pointers about life before I go. number one would be...live every day as if it were your last, don't worry about tomorrow because you might not have tomorrow. Number two...be reliable, because everyone can respect a reliable person. Number three...be loyal, it doesn't matter if everyone else is doing it, chose the right side and stick with it. Last but not least Number four...don't spend your life regretting the fact that I'm gone, live your life as though I'm right next to you encouraging you...because I am._

 _With lots and lots of Love, DAD"_

 **Date: present day**

 **Location: Everest's house**

Marshall and Rocky stared at the flag and envelope with their jaws dropped...

"You're...you're dad did all that?" Marshall asked

Everest nodded

"Wow, that's amazing!" Rocky said

"Yeah, I guess it is kind of amazing" Everest perked up

"I just have one question...what does the poem say?" Marshall asked

Everest tilted her head and thought about it

"you know...I actually never read it"

"You never read it!" Rocky shouts

"I guess I can read now if you want me too"

"Yes! please! I have to know what it says!" Rocky shouts again

"Ok, ok, I'll read it" Everest laughs

Everest looks inside the box and finds the poem, she reaches down and grabs it...

"Okay, here's what it says..."

" _Dear Everest_

 _Hello Everest, my name is Henry McKnight, you probably don't know me or ever will but I was asked by your dad to give you this poem by Tecumseh, it might be a lot to take in, but it also has its truths:_

 _Live your life, by Tecumseh,_

 _live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people._

 _When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero...going home."_

Marshall looked at Everest with tears streaming down his face, he never knew about her dad. Everest had warm tears sliding down her face too as she put everything back in the box. When she was done she looked over at Rocky who was still wiping his sniffly nose...

"Wow, Everest, that's a family heritage to be proud of," Marshall said

Everest had a warm glowing radiant smile

"Yes it is Marshall"

Yes, indeed it is.

 **So what do y'all think? I'm going to say this now I don't own any of Tecumsehs poems or any other act of valor quotes.**


	2. Heart of courage

**Heart of Courage**

It was still dark outside in the early morning hours on the south side of Chicago, the only sound anyone walking bye could hear was the harsh arctic north wind that blew through the empty, silent streets.

In the middle of it all was a small shack, now the green and white paint on the house had been weathered and stripped away to almost nothing, colored blankets and sheets hung were windows had been busted out, the black roof had some shingles missing with wooden bald spots here and there, and the whole house looked like it was held together by duct tape and bailing wires, but at second glance, one could also see toys scattered throughout the front yard. Inside the house though it was much different, one could feel the warm love of a family inside that the harsh streets of Chicago could never offer.

A quiet but subtle creak was heard throughout the house as a full grown Dalmatian slowly cracked opened the door and crept towards a bed that was inside the room, once to the bed the Dalmatian leaned against the bed and blinked back tears as he watched with a dream-like state of mind as his pup slept peacefully under the blankets...

" _Look at him, not a care in the world. Man...Why him? He didn't deserve it"_ the Dalmatian thought to himself and sighed

" _I'm such a coward"_

This was the prevailing thought as the Dalmatian shut his eyes tight and reminisced the recent turn of events, he could still hear the cries and screams coming from a building blazing with hot fire, he knew his wife was in there, yet he stood there, frozen by something, something deep down inside of all of us, yet on that day it was his own worst enemy...fear.

A warm tear streamed down his face as the Dalmatian leaned over and kissed his pup on his forehead...

" _One day buddy, this miserable nightmare will be over...one day"_

The Dalmatian stood up right then looked at his watch, it was unfortunately time for him to go to work. He glanced back at his pup, the only thing that made life worth living again, and slipped a note under his pillow, then began making his way out of the room

Once the Dalmatian was out of the house he began trotting down the street, where his mind began wandering about his pup...

" _How am I going to sit there and look at him straight in the eyes, and tell him that his mother died in a burning building, while I stood there and watched like a...coward. A yellow belly coward. I just hope that he can find the mercy to forgive me"_

The Dalmatian was so caught up in his thoughts that he barely noticed how fast he was trotting until he bumped into a brick wall, he rubbed his head and looked up, he had arrived at his workplace...a chemistry lab. it was a beautiful five-story brick building that was surrounded by a brick wall and the best security available, and it was Sams job to smell the whole building for any signs of leaky pipes and dangerous gases

"Morning Sam, sleep good last night?" The person at the opening gate said

Sam nodded his head

"Well good, hope you have a good day at work too"

The Dalmatian trotted inside the gate where he would be assigned his area for the day...

"Hey Sam, your rooms are three and four today" a man looking at a clipboard said

The Dalmatian nodded again and was just about to start heading towards the building when the man holding the clipboard called for Sam and flipped the page on his clipboard...

"Oh yeah, hey Sam, your new partner is already inside and waiting for you"

Sam barked and started trotting towards the building, once he was inside he began making his way up the stairs where he met his new partner, he looked like a lower class Black and Tan German Shepherd, or working dog as Sam liked to call them, he had a backpack and looked a little bit younger than Sam. Sam was the first to speak...

"Morning Mr...?"

"Bowie, like a Bowie knife, but you can call me Bo, and your name?" the German Shepherd responded in a polite tone of voice

"Samuel, but you can call me Sam. Bo, we have a lot of work to do today so let's get started. We'll start on the fourth floor and work our way down from there...alright?" Sam asked the German Shepherd

"Sure, so long as in the event of something terribly wrong happening you don't leave me in the dust" Bo stated

Sam swallowed an ever-growing knot in his throat and gave a weak smile

"Well now, that would be awful...wouldn't it?" Sam said fidgeting nervously

Bo observed Sams sudden change in behavior and couldn't help but study the Dalmatian with careful eyes

"Yeah...awful" Bo replied never taking his eyes off Sam

"Alright, let's get started," Sam said trying to change the subject

"Yes...lets"

The two then walked up the stairs to the fourth floor where they were lead by the maintenance manager to a room that was filled with pipes of all different colors and sizes

"Okay boys, you know what to do," the man said

The two dogs gave a nod, Sam put his nose next to the pipes and started sniffing. At first, everything smelled like the normal metal pipes that Sam had become accustomed to over his year's of working there until a slight but rather strange scent caught his attention...

"Hey Bo, do you smell that?"

Bo was busily checking out the other side of the room when he heard Sam call his name, he lifted his head and lumbered over to Sam. When Bo first caught the scent he snorted and looked at Sam with disgust in his eyes...

"Sam, that's not a leaking gas pipe," Bo said rolling eyes

Sam tilted his head and stared at Bo for a second

"How do you know?" Sam asked

"Because I've smelt them before and they don't smell like that, it's too weak a smell to be a leaking gas pipe," Bo said shuffling his paws

"I've smelt leaky gas pipes before, but none of them ever smelt like that" Sam replied

"Trust me, it's a not leaking gas pipe" Bo reassured

"Alright, so long as you're sure, I'd just hate to see someone die from our mistake," Sam remarked

"Yeah...that would be just a tragedy" Bo

So the dogs continued smelling the pipes until the whole room was clear of any leaking pipes and moved down to the third floor. When the dogs were done checking out the third floor, Sam couldn't help but think about the strange smell from earlier

" _if it wasn't a leaking pipe...then what was it?"_ Sam thought to himself

As Sam and Bo were heading towards the door, they heard the most dreadful scream that froze them both dead in their tracks...

 **"Fire! There's a fire on the fifth floor!"**

They stared at each other for a split second not knowing if it was real or a joke until they heard an explosion come from the top of the building...

"C'mon Bo we gotta go!" Sam shouted

"I'm right behind you!" Bo answered back

Sam grabbed some of the gas masks that the lab kept on hand on the first floor and started racing up the stairs with Bo right behind him. When they arrived at the fifth floor, they were met with a blast of heat that knocked them down, once on the ground, Sam gathered all the courage in his body and made his plan with Bo...

"Alright Bo, we're going to crawl towards the door on the other side of the room cause that's where the people who are trapped are gonna be, you got me?"

"Yeah, I got you" Bo responded

"Alright, here we go!" Sam barked and started crawling

The two started crawling through the fire-filled hallway trying their best to avoid any obstacles on their way towards the door. When they reached the door, they could hear voices and coughs on the other side so they tried pushing it open, but it wouldn't budge, Sam looked at Bo with concern in his eyes...

"we're going to have to bust it down Bo"

"Okay, what do want me to do?"

"I need you to get a running start and try to ram the door open"

"I can do that" Bo smirked

Bo backed up as far as the smoke would let him in the hallway, then broke out into a full-on sprint and rammed his body into the door, the door flung open as Sam rushed inside to immediately help the people inside...

"Hey Bo give me a hand with these gas masks will ya?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Bo growled picking himself up off the floor

The people who were conscious quickly grabbed their mask and made a mad dash for the stairwell, Sam looked around for anybody that might've passed out while they were waiting, he was scanning the floor and was about to leave when he spotted someone in the corner, Sam looked at Bo, and Bo looked at Sam. Bo voiced his opinion first...

"Sam, I know what you're thinking, but it's not worth it, the whole buildings about to collapse on top of us"

Sam searched Bo's eyes, what he saw was what was in his eyes just months earlier...fear

"It's not about if it's worth it or not, it's about that person in corner Bo" Sam stated

Sam walked over to the limp body and threw it over his back and looked at Bo

"It's about having the courage to save one more life" Sam stated then started making his way through the smoke-filled room and hallway.

They were almost to the stairwell when a support beam snapped and landed on Sams' back leg causing him to drop under the weight of the body on top of him

"Sam!" Bo shouted turning around trying to get the beam off Sam

"I'm alright, just get this person out of here!" Sam shouted struggling under the beam

"I'm not leaving without you!"

"Bo! You don't have much time! just get this person out of here!"

Bo's eyes started tearing up

"But what about you!"

Sam stared into Bo's eyes

"I'll be fine, just get the scientist and go!" Sam exclaimed

Bo grabbed the scientist and threw him over his shoulder and looked back at Sam one more time, there seemed to be peace about Sam that resonated within him. The German Shepherd sighed in defeat, he didn't have time to argue but couldn't help but ask if he could do anything more for the Dalmatian...

"Are you sure I can't do anything for you?" Bo's voice sounded as smooth as cool mountain water

Sam looked at Bo with a spark in his eyes even though his eyes were red and watering from all the smoke in the room. he had never asked for a favor from anyone but now he had no choice...

"Well, there is one thing you could for me..."

Bo's ears perked up at hearing that, Sam reached for his red collar and handed it to Bo

"do you think you could help my boy...become a firefighter?" the Dalmatian asked

The German Shepherd looked down at the watch and felt a warm smile forming on his lips

"Will do Sam...will do"

The Dalmatian and German Shepherd shared one last smile before another support beam came crashing down and separated the two, Bo looked up to see a wall of fire between him and Sam, before realizing that staying with Sam would be useless

So with a heavy heart, Bo blinked back tears as he bolted down the winding stairs, he could feel his heart pounding harder and harder with each step he took, he began experiencing shortness of breath while the smoke he had been inhaling began taking its toll with his strength slowly fading as he passed each floor until finally, he was out of the burning building

Bo carried the unconscious scientist to an ambulance that was waiting there...

"Hey, we got another one! Bring him here boy, can someone get some oxygen and hurry!" a nearby medic shouted

Bo dragged the body to the ambulance before stumbling and collapsing to the ground, he had no more strength left in him and was just about to pass out when he heard a rumbling sound followed by screams and shouts, the battered German Shepherd summoned any strength he had left and lifted his head up, he watched as the five-story building right in front of him, collapsed into nothing but rubble

"Sam" the German Shepherd whispered to himself then he covered his watery red eyes with his big paws and started sniffling

" _It's_ _all my fault, I should have listened to Sam about that smell on the third floor..."_

Bo took a deep breath and looked up at the pile of waste that was before him, all he could do was watch the dust settle, ponder his current situation and let warm tears slide down his cheeks. After realizing that doing nothing was getting him nowhere, he remembered his last promise to Sam...

 _"Well, I guess I should go see Sams boy," Bo thought_

Bo struggled to pick himself up from off the ground only to began limping away until he realized something...he had no idea where in the world Sams boy lived. So after thinking about it, he decided that the best way to go was by the word of mouth, he limped over to a nearby dog that was there with his human journalist...

"Excuse me uh sir?" Bo asked

"Yes?" the dog responded

"I'm searching for the home of Sam Dalmatian, do you know where that might be?"

The dog thought about it for a moment

"Hmm...Sam Dalmatian you say?"

"Yes sir"

"I'm not for sure, but it should be the last house down, past the old railroad tracks" the dog answered

"Ok thank you, Mr?"

"John"

"Alright, thank you, Mr. John"

Bo started limping in the direction of the old railroad tracks, he was tired, dehydrated and caked in dust from the collapsed building but he made a promise he intended to keep.

When he arrived at the house and saw the condition of it he couldn't help but let more warm tears stream down his face and stand there staring at the house with a broken heart. eventually, he gathered what courage he had left, slowly he walked up the old paint peeled stairs and full of pain he knocked on the door, the door slowly creaked open and a miniature version of Sam peered his head around the corner of the door...

"May...may I help you?" the obviously intimidated voice asked

The German Shepherd gave a weak smile

"Yes, are you the son of Sam Dalmatian?"

The Dalmatian nodded his head

"Yeah...why?"

"Okay, what's your name kid?"

"Marshall Dalmatian"

Bo let out a deep sigh

"Marshall, we need to talk...about your dad"

The little Dalmatians eyes grew to the size of plates

"Wha...what happened?"

Another warm tear slid down Bo's cheek as he bit his lip

"Marshall...your dad...he's...he's not coming home today" Bo choked up as he began blinking back tears

Marshall tilted his head in an uncomprehensive manner

"I... I don't understand, he wouldn't just leave me"

The German Shepherd gathered himself together and looked at Marshall straight in the eyes, his eyes were innocent, full of curiosity...and fear

"Marshall your dad...he...passed away in a fire"

Marshall's eyes widened as the cold blow of reality came crashing down upon him, he couldn't believe it at first, no he would not believe it, not his dad...

"No your lying!" Marshall screamed in disbelief

"Yes he did and I have proof right here" Bo answered then reached into his backpack and pulled out Sams red collar

Marshalls' lip began quivering as he examined what was indeed, his father's smoke charred collar. He looked back at Bo with tears in his eyes...

"What happens now?" he asked in a weak voice

Bo sat down and thought about it

"Well...you want to be a firefighter...don't you?"

Marshall looked back at the collar

"I... I don't know"

"Really? Your dad said that you wanted to be one"

Marshall shuffled his paws on the ground

"I don't know if I can a firefighter without my dad"

Bo looked at the collar then back at Marshall with a smile

"Well not looking like that you can't"

Bo reached over and clicked Sams collar onto Marshall

"There, I'm sure your dad would want you to have it"

Marshall looked at his dad's collar then back at Bo with a smile

"When do I start?" Marshall asked with a spark in his voice

"You let me worry about that, but for now you're coming home with me" Bo stated

The two then began walking towards Bo's home.

 **One year later**

Marshall was staring down at his dads grave, he couldn't help but let warm tears slide down his cheeks as he read what was carved on the tombstone...

 _"You mystify me, you amaze me with your bravery, you move forward when others move back._ _what drives you one way? When we all want to go the other way. how can you walk into the darkness, when we all seek the light? Fear is part of the equation for me, yet fear is something you walk right on past. I know I'm not like you, not many are like you. I am thankful for you, thankful for those like you. They'll call you a firefighter, but I will call you a Hero."_

It was a poem in the last letter he received from his dad that fateful day, Marshall was blinking back tears now as he thought of his dads sacrifice he made that day...

 _"Thanks, dad, thanks for everything"_

 **So what do yall think? If you're wondering why I kinda flat-lined for a while is I had end of year finals(can anyone say yuck)**


	3. Father or Celebrity

**Chapter Three**

 **Father or Celebrity?**

It was a clear and sunny day at the beach in Adventure bay, the air had a crisp summer taste to it, the hot sand crunched underneath the paws of the pups and the water was as cool as a glass of iced tea. It was here at the beach that Zuma was trying to pull off his latest jet ski stunt...

"Alright Zuma, you're all clear to try your uh...what are you calling it again?" Rocky asked

"It's the 720 twiple backflip wotation dude" Zuma replied with a spark of excitement in his voice

Rocky rolled his eyes

"Yeah, that"

Rocky grabbed a flag with his claw arm and looked at Zuma who was in position with his jet ski now...

"Ok Zuma, on your mark, get set...go!" Rocky waved the flag

Zuma pushed the jet ski to full throttle as he eyed the ramp, he could feel the water splashing on his face as he raced towards the ramp, the closer he got, the faster he went until finally he reached his jump

Zuma nailed the trick till he had to land his jet ski, as he was coming down he over flipped so that the nose of the jet ski caught the surface of the water and flipped, throwing Zuma off in the process...

"Zuma! Are you alright?!" Rocky yelled in shock

Zumas head appeared above the water, he was conscious and looked okay. Zuma tried to answer but started coughing...

"Yeah... _cough..._ I'm good... _cough cough"_ Zuma said with watering eyes

"That's good, do you want any help?" Rocky asked

"No, I should be good" Zuma responded

Rocky looked over at the jet ski that was floating towards shore...

"What happened? You had it till you tried landing it"

"I just need a little bit mowe pwactice at it, that's all"

Zuma caught up with his jet ski and hopped on it again...

"But I'll get it this time, I can feel it in my bones dude"

"Ok, just don't break something" Rocky picked up the flag again

"Are you ready Zuma?"

Zuma maneuvered his jet ski into position again

"Weady when you are dude"

"Ok, on your mark...get set...go!"

Rocky watched as Zuma jumped the ramp, and crashed again in the water, moments later Zumas head appeared above the water and before Rocky could ask if Zuma was ok, Zuma yelled at Rocky...

"I'm ok, I just need to need to keep pwacticing"

Rocky stared at Zuma with Concern in his eyes...

"...Ok, just don't hurt yourself"

"Don't wowwy about me, you just make sure I'm cleaw to jump"

Rocky continued examining his water soaked friend with concern...

"Ok, I'll do it"

"Thanks dude"

Zuma hopped on top of his jet ski again, and moved into position...

"I'm weady"

Rocky grabbed his flag again"Alright, on your mark...get set...go!"

 **Later that afternoon**

"You've almost got it Zuma! Just try it one more time!" Rocky shouted

By now Zuma had lost all of his "want to" for this trick, he was sore, hungry and tired. he looked up at Rocky with defeat in his eyes...

"Wocky, I think I'm done fow the day"

Rocky stared at Zuma in disbelief, he had been working on this trick all day and wanted to give up now?

"Why? You're so close, just try it one more time"

"No way dude, I'm done trying to do this stupid flip" Zuma snapped back

Zuma got on his jet ski and rode it to shore and hopped off, Rocky was still trying to convince him to try one more time...

"Aw c'mon Zuma! Just try it one more time, please!"

That was it, Zuma couldn't take any more of Rocky's begging, so as Zuma was walking back towards his pup house with Rocky following him, he grabbed his surf board and slammed it on the ground, snapping it in half, and screamed in Rocky's ear...

"I SAID I'M DONE WITH THAT STUPID FLIP ROCKY, I'll never land it, I'll never be able to get it, and I'll NEVER BE AS COOL AS MY DAD!"

Zuma stared at Rocky with frozen eyes, Rocky couldn't decide whether he was more shocked at the fact that for the first time ever, Zuma actually snapped at one of his friends, or Zuma pronounced his name right. At first Rocky struggled finding any words to say...

"I...I'm sorry Zuma I...I had no idea..."

"Well maybe if you were a better fwiend you would understand" Zuma said still irritated

Zuma turned towards his pup house and started trotting away from the beach, he went inside his pup house and collapsed on his bed, he covered his face with his paws and started tearing up, he didn't mean to be a jerk to Rocky, but why couldn't he get his flip?

As these thoughts raced through his mind, he heard a soft, weak voice coming from his front door...

"Zuma, are you ok?"

It was Rocky, Zuma couldn't help but turn his head and gaze at his friend

"Yeah, I'm fine"

Rocky shuffled his paws on the ground

"Ok...hey Zuma, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings"

Zuma let out a deep sigh

"No Wocky, I'm the one who's sowwy, you were just trying to help"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive dude"

Zuma laid his head back on his pillow

"Well, is there anything I can do to help?" Rocky asked

"No, I don't think so" Zuma huffed

Rocky nodded his head and looked around Zumas pup house, his eyes were eventually drawn to a picture of two chocolate labs, the bigger one a holding the smaller one on his lap while he sat on a jet ski...

"Hey Zuma, is that you with 'flipping Fernandez' in this picture?"

Zuma jerked his head up and jumped off of his bed before Rocky had any time to react...

"What? Flipping Fewnandez? With me? No way dude"

Zuma quickly grabbed the picture, and slid it underneath his pillow then turned back to Rocky who had become very suspicious of the situation...

"You're sure it's not flipping Fernandez?"

"Yup, absolutely cewtain" Zuma chuckled nervously

Rocky examined Zuma even closer than before, looking for any signs of anxiety and tension with his big brown eyes, after studying his body language, he came to the conclusion that Zuma was not only hiding something, but also was hurting

"Zuma, I know you're hiding something, but I can't help you until you tell me what happened"

A cold chill ran down Zumas spine, he had kept this a secret for so long but now, he just didn't know if he was ready to open up old wounds again...

"Fine"

Zuma hesitatingly grabbed the picture from under his pillow...

"You pwomise to keep this a secwet?"

Rocky nodded, Zuma made sure no one was looking and showed his best friend the picture...

"That is flipping Fernandez" Rocky stated

Zuma sighed again

"No, that wasn't flipping Fewnandez, not to me anyway, no he was...dad"

Rocky jerked his head back in utter disbelief and stared at Zuma with a bewildered look on his face

"Your dad was who now?"

"You heawd me, flipping Fewnandez was my dad" Zuma restated

Rocky swung his head back and forth from to the picture then back to Zuma again, after analyzing both the picture and Zuma for a couple minutes he came to the stunning conclusion that flipping Fernandez was indeed Zumas dad...

"How?...What?...Why?...When?..." Rocky stuttered

"It's okay dude, I'll tell you the whole stowy once you'we done fweaking out"

Rocky nodded his head and sat down, Zuma sighed and looked at Rocky with a downtrodden expression...

"It was 2005, and the national dog watew spowts wewe undew way..."

 **Date: Early August 2005**

 **Location: New Orleans Louisiana**

A tall proud chocolate Labrador with green eyes strutted down the sandy beach inspecting his competition, taking note to every little detail of their size, weight, type of jet ski and how much confidence they had, all the while being followed by a much smaller and younger version of himself...

"Hey dad, when does the actual competition stawt?"

"Later on today"

"Oh, hey dad, isn't thewe supposed to be a huwwicane coming in this month?"

The Chocolate Labrador stopped in his tracks and looked at the young pup following him with a confused expression

"Hurricane, what hurricane?"

"Mom said that thewe was going to be a huwwicane this month"

The Chocolate lab let out a chuckle

"No I don't think we're going to get a hurricane Zuma"

"Oh, okay"

The two started trotting down the beach again with Fernandez shaking his head at the thought of a hurricane when he heard another familiar voice...

"Hey Fernandez, you say you got the championship in the bag again aye?"

Fernandez looked over his shoulder to see his friend Jackson, now Jackson was a golden retriever from Canada with light blue eyes, he was the same height as Fernandez but weighed a little bit less. He had a mischievous smirk on his face when he walked over...

"I can't lie, the competition looks pretty pathetic this year" Fernandez responded with a smile

"Oh really? Is that what you think?"

"Oh yeah, totally man"

The golden retriever let out a playful laugh

"Ha! You always were the cocky one"

Fernandez could only smile

"Well...someone has to be, and that someone might as well be me"

Jackson could only shake his head and chuckle, the idea of a cocky Labrador amused him somehow

"Well I guess I can only wish you luck then, unless you already have enough of that too"

"What do you mean? I could always use some spare luck"

"Very well, I wish you luck Fernandez"

"And I wish you luck Jackson"

Jackson turned and started plotting away towards his jet ski all the while Fernandez watched him then turned and headed back towards his jet ski with the clumsy little pup still following him...

"Hey dad, is this weally the most pathetic competition that you've evew seen?"

"Nothing could be farther from the truth Zuma" Fernandez replied without ever stopping or looking back

" _Nothing could be farther from the truth"_ he thought to himself

The competition started with one great stunt after another, dogs were perfecting jet ski stunts that Fernandez himself had created! Fernandez could only watch and wait as the name of the next dog up was called. he could feel the tension in his body slowly rising with each passing minute, the pounding of his heart only added to this tension. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath...

"Jackson Hunters, report to the jet ski bay" a loud megaphone shouted

The sudden loudness of the voice made Fernandez jump in shock, after he settled down he looked over at his friend Jackson...

"Finally, I've been waiting all blooming day for this" the Canadian retriever grumbled to himself

Jackson lumbered over to the jet ski bay and started putting his safety gear on. Fernandez took another deep breath trying anything to help calm his nerves down, he closed his eyes again only to hear a different voice...

"So what stunt awe you going to do this time dad?"

The voice gave it away immediately as to who it was, Fernandez opened his eyes to see an ecstatic little chocolate Lab pup with sparkling eyes standing there wagging his tail...

"I don't know Zuma, I thought about trying the triple double again" he replied completely lacking any excitement

Zumas tail stopped wagging, he tilted his head and stared at his dad with a confused expression

"Weally? That's getting kinda old to be honest dad"

Fernandez looked away for a second and thought about it, then turned back to Zuma with a helpless expression...

"Zuma, I'm completely out of ideas, I don't know what I'm going to do"

"But you'll think of something...won't you?" Zuma asked

"Yeah...I'll think of something"

Zumas tail started wagging again

"I know you will dad, I can feel it in my bones"

A weak smile began forming on Fernandezs lips as he examined his hopeful, energetic pup, only to have it shattered by the call of his name over the megaphone...

"Flipping Fernandez to the jet ski bay"

His heart sunk, as he stood up looked back at Zuma with doubt in his eyes but soon masked it with an emotionless expression that he had mastered over the years...

"How do I look?"

"Like a champion dad" Zuma replied with excitement

"Alright, wish me luck!" Fernandez said as he started to trot towards the jet ski bay

When he got to the jet ski bay, he immediately started putting his safety equipment on and tightened any loose ends he happened to find when another dog with a clipboard walked up and asked...

"So what's the name of your stunt?"

Fernandezs mind went blank as he never settled on a stunt to begin with so without much thought he stuttered the first words that came to his mouth...

"I ca...call it the...the...720...triple...backflip...rotation dude"

The dog holding the clipboard dropped his jaw...

"You're going to try what now?"

"You heard me... a 720 triple backflip rotation man" Fernandez restated with vigor

The dog shook his head and jotted down on his clipboard

"Well I guess I should expect just as much coming from you Fernandez, good luck" the dog said as he walked away

Fernandez put his helmet on his head and clicked it into place, then he climbed onto his jet ski and waited for the green light to go into the main outdoor arena that had a ramp for the jump in place and ready

Fernandez closed his eyes and began thinking about all of the different variables that were about to be implied in his jump, and after thinking about it, he had only one main conclusion...he was going to need all the luck in the world in order to pull this one off.

He opened his eyes just as the light turned green, he speed out to the main area as they announced his name and stunt to crowds of people and dogs alike, now the only thing holding him back was the announcers go ahead for the jump, a loud booming voice came over the speakers...

"On your mark...get set...GO!"

Fernandez pushed the jet ski to full throttle sending up a mist of seawater as he sped off to his jump, faster and faster he went until he reached his jump, Fernandez closed his eyes as he felt the jet ski launch off the jumping ramp like a rocket, the hang time he got on this jump felt like an eternity until he couldn't take it no longer and opened his eyes only to see...a perfect landing?

"Flipping Fernandez has done it! He is the first dog in history to ever land a 720 triple backflip rotation!!!" A voice blared in pure elation over the megaphone

The crowd started shouting and throwing roses at Fernandez as he made his victory lap around the outdoor arena with his paw clinched in the air, eventually he rode his jet ski to the shore and was going to find Zuma who was in the background behind everyone but was overwhelmed by a throng of news-hungry sports journalists shoving recorders up into his face...

"Mr. Fernandez, how would you describe this victory today?"

"Uhh...pretty good man"

"Mr. Fernandez, can you tell us what was going through your mind during the jump?"

"Well, about halfway through the jump I knew that I was going to land it so I guess you could say...peace of mind"

"Mr. Fernandez, how long did you practice that stunt in particular?"

"Mmm...about...a year"

A gasp and whispering spread among the journalist's that weren't already scribbling on their tiny little notepads

"One last question before you go, Mr. Fernandez, can we expect to see more stunts like this one in the near future?"

"...Yes...yes you can"

With that, the journalists disbanded, some still scribbling and jotting down what Fernandez had just said on their notepads, others discussing what the next stunt could possibly be, Fernandez just shrugged and scanned the area in search of Zuma, what he found was a teary-eyed, quivering lipped pup on the verge of crying. Fernandez darted over to his pup as a wave of concern came flooding over him...

"Zuma! Are you ok? Are you hurt? Did someone bully you?" Fernandez began questioning but was cut off by Zumas weak quivering voice

"How could you dad?"

"How could I what?" Fernandez asked beginning to wonder what he did wrong

"You...you lied to them"

"Well...I..." Fernandez tried backtracking but was again cut off by Zuma

"you said you had been pwacticing that stunt fow a yeaws when you just made it up!" Zuma said almost yelling

"What else was I supposed to tell them?!" Fernandez shouted back angerly

"The twuth" Zuma said calmly

Fernandez thought about what Zuma had just said then looked him in the eyes and stated

"Zuma, the world doesn't work like that"

Zuma's eyes widened then filled with tears as his lip began quivering again, it was the look of a pup whos idol had just been cast down

"Is...Is that why you and mom don't see each other at all anymowe?"

Fernandez froze at that thought, ever since the divorce, he and Zumas mom had kept Zuma in the dark as to why they got a divorce but it seemed that he was putting the puzzle together at a fairly young age...

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Moms always talking about how you would nevew tell the twuth"

"That's just your mother's opinion"

"So its twue"

"I never said that"

"No you'we wong, I wish you wewen't my dad!" Zuma cried as he ran away

"Zuma! Wait! Come back!"

Fernandez tried to run after him but was stopped by fans who wanted his autograph, he tried to push through but to no avail, in desperation he looked in the direction which Zuma had run only to see nothing. With a heavy heart that seemed to be sinking every minute, he felt emotionly drained of any energy he had and on top of it Zuma was probably going to hate him for the rest of his life. He began trotting towards his hotel room...

" _He just needs some time alone, that's all"_

It was about nine o'clock when Fernandez got to his room, with nothing but Zuma on his mind, he tried to sleep, but the more he thought about him, the more it bothered him, Fernandez was tossed and turned restlessly all night

The next morning he woke up and searched the room frantically...nothing. After searching the lobby of the hotel, he came to the conclusion that Zuma was still gone, Jackson on the other hand was outside enjoying a cup of coffee in the rain...

"Morning Jackson, have you by chance seen Zuma?"

"Mm...no I haven't...Why? Is the poor laddie okay?"

"Not really, he ran away yesterday after we had a talk, and I thought he would have cooled down by now, but he's still gone"

"Well I'll keep an eye out for the lad, and if I see him, you'll be the first to know"

"Thanks Jack"

"Not a problem, I just hope we find him before the hurricane does"

"Hurricane? What hurricane?" Fernandez asked

"Don't you know? The biggest hurricane in nearly thirty years is barreling towards New Orleans"

Fernandezs eyes widened at this news, now not only was he trying to make things right with Zuma, but he was also trying to beat the hurricane...

"Oh no...I've got to find Zuma!" Fernandez said as he started running down the street

"Good luck! And if you need me I'll be standing by!" Jackson shouted

Fernandez had no clue where to go, but he had to start somewhere, so down the street he went shouting Zumas name...

"Zuma! Zuma come back! Zuma I'm sorry!"

" _I'm sorry"_

The hour turned into hours, then the hours turned into a day, and a day turned into days but still no sign of Zuma. Fernandez was searching the southern edge of New Orleans when the rain began falling heavier and the wind began blowing harder. the echo of his voice seemed as though it was falling on deaf ears and reminded him how lonely he really was.

Fernandez eventually began wading through water filled streets that resembled rivers more than streets, the water level on each street started off pretty low but rapidly climbed higher and higher as the hurricane moved closer to the mainland until the water was up to Fernandezs neck, but not even elevated water levels was going to stop Fernandez until he found Zuma

So on the great Flipping Fernandez went pushing through the doubt and struggle in his pursuit of the pup he loved until one day while rafting through the streets he heard something, it was a sound coming from down one of the streets he hadn't passed, now the sound was faint and weak but after listening for a second he heard the voice loud and clear...

"Dad!"

Could it be? After days of searching could it be Zuma? A euphoric rush of adrenaline ran through his body as he shouted back...

"Zuma?!"

"Dad! I'm over here!"

Fernandez began paddling toward the sound with all his might, he found Zuma on top of a roof, cold and shaking but still alive...

"Zuma! Over here!"

"Dad!"

Zuma ran to the edge of the roof that wasn't under water, Fernandez maneuvered the raft close enough to the roof for Zuma to jump into the raft.

Once in the raft Zuma hugged his dad as tears started dripping down his face...

"I'm so sowwy dad, I'll nevew do that again..."

Fernandez embraced his long lost son even tighter

"Shh it's okay Zuma, I'm the one who's sorry"

After embracing Zuma for the first time in days, Fernandez reached over and grabbed a walkie-talkie...

"Jackson I found him, we're ready to go home"

"Rodger that!" An excited voice answered over the radio

As the two were waiting there, Fernandez apologized to Zuma for the lies he had told the journalists and his mom, and promised to make it right again when they heard the faint sound of chopping, that grew louder until Jackson's personal helicopter stationed over the raft and let down a ladder, the two climbed into the helicopter and off they went.

 **Present day**

Rocky sat there mesmerized by the story Zuma had just told

"So...so did your dad eventually make things right?"

"Totally dude, he apologized to the jouwnalists fow lying then to mom fow the way things tuwned out, last I heawd mom and dad wewe getting wemawwied"

"Wow, that's unbelievable!" Rocky said

"I know, that's why I didn't want anyone to know who my dad was"

"I see. Well...are you ready to try the 720 triple backflip rotation again?" Rocky asked energetically

Zuma grabbed his helmet

"You I am dude!"

The two started walking back towards the beach where they were stopped by Chase...

"Hey! Do either of you two know why Zumas surfboard is snapped in half!"

 **So what do y'all think! Sorry it took so long but after thinking about it Zumas dads back story has endless possibilities!**


End file.
